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Gili Islands Info
The islands are a popular
destination for Western tourists looking for a remote island
experience. Each island has several small resorts, usually
consisting of a small collection of huts for tourists, and a
restaurant. Most local inhabitants live in the hilly interior of
the island. Automobiles and motorized traffic are prohibited on
the islands by local ordinance, so the preferred method of
transportation is bicycle or the horse-drawn carriage called a
cidomo. Diving in and around the Gilis is also popular,
although the prices are fairly high due to local cartel
activities. The name "Gili Islands" is a bit of a misnomer,
because Gili simply means "small island" in Sasak.
Gili
Islands
Situated a few miles off the
north west coast of Lombok, the three Gili Islands - Gili
Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air - were discovered by
backpackers in the 80s and until recently remained a haven for
budget travellers in search of paradise. The islands are
surrounded by glorious soft sandy beaches, colourful coral reefs
and crystal clear turquoise waters, ideal for diving. There are
almost no roads or motor vehicles but small ferries transport
guests between islands, none more than twenty minutes apart.
Most of the accommodation is on Gili Trawangan, generally small
bamboo bungalows a few meters from the beach – like Thailand's
islands twenty years ago. Mainstream tourism is beginning to
establish itself here and a few exclusive hotels have opened up,
most recently on the smallest, least developed island, Gili Meno.
Lombok is part of the chain of
the Lesser Sunda Islands, with the Lombok Strait separating it
from Bali to the west and the Alas Strait between it and Sumbawa
to the east.
The Lombok Strait marks the
passage of the biogeographical division between the fauna of the
Indomalayan ecozone and the distinctly different fauna of
Australasia that is also known as the Wallace Line.
The island's topography is
dominated by the centrally-located volcano Mount Rinjani, which
rises to 3,726 m making it the third-largest in Indonesia. The
most recent eruption of Rinjani was in June-July 1994. The
volcano, and its sacred crater lake, are protected by a National
Park established in 1997.
Lombok has much in common with
nearby Bali, but less well-known and less-visited by foreigners.
It has been working to increase its visibility to tourists in
recent years, promoting itself as an "unspoiled Bali". The
most-developed center of tourism is Senggigi, spread in a
10-kilometer strip along the coastal road north of Mataram.
The Gili Islands, an
archipelago of three small islands just off the northwest coast
of Lombok called Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air; are a
popular destination for Western tourists looking for a remote
island experience. Each island has several small resorts,
usually consisting of a small collection of huts for tourists,
and a restaurant. Automobiles and motorized traffic are
prohibited on the islands, so the preferred method of
transportation is bicycle or the horse-drawn carriage.
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